Kids aren't the only ones in danger when vehicles roll

Dec. 19, 2012
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A 2000 Dodge Durango, one of many models of vehicles built before 2010, can be set in motion unintentionally when the keys are left in the ignition because it lacks a brake-shift interlock device. / Dodge

Jamin Jacobson, 3, was struck and killed by the family's 1972 Chevy Impala in his driveway.

The boy's mother had parked the car and gone inside with the boy's baby sister, leaving him alone in the car. Police believe he shifted the car out of park.

As it began rolling backward, he jumped or fell out of the driver's door. The car ran over him, causing head injuries from which he did not recover.

- The Miami Herald

Aug. 5, 1988, Orange County, Calif.

Dylan Clark Bloodworth, 2, of Arlington, Texas, was killed when a runaway 1981 Chevy station wagon ran into him in San Clemente State Park.

Police said an 18-month-old child, left alone in a car with the engine running, shifted the car into gear. The driver told police she had gotten out of the car to retrieve some camping items and left the engine running because the car was difficult to start.

- The Orange County Register

May 30, 1998, Washington, Mo.

Harrison Struttmann, 2, was killed and his mother seriously injured by a runaway van at a riverfront park.

Two boys, ages 2 and 3, had been left unsupervised in a 1985 full-size Dodge van that had been left idling.

After recovering from her injuries, Michele Struttmann co-founded Kids 'N Cars, a nonprofit organization that promotes safety issues. Partly as a result of her lobbying, 17 states now have laws against leaving children unattended in vehicles.

- Various sources

March 31, 2002, Independence, Mo.

Kiri Hanna, 16, was killed when her 21-month-old daughter, who was sitting in the driver's seat of their 1993 Crown Victoria, shifted the vehicle out of park.

At the time, Hanna was standing outside the vehicle and was strapping her 7-month-old son into the rear passenger seat. The keys were not in the ignition, and the car was not running, police said.

- Kansas City Star

May 17, 2003, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Adreanna Cook-Patrick, 4, was run over by a GMC Yukon in the family's driveway as she helped her mother clean the vehicle.

The victim's 2-year-old brother was in the driver's seat, and the ignition switch was turned so the radio could play.

The girl was standing behind the SUV when the toddler shifted the car out of park, police said. The mother, who was also outside the vehicle, jumped in the moving vehicle but was unable to stop it in time.

Both had been playing unsupervised when the older boy shifted the vehicle out of park. Their father, a state representative, owned the truck.

The incident helped spur automakers to agree to equip virtually all new vehicles with brake-shift interlock by 2010.

- New Haven Register

July 4, 2007, Bridgeport, Conn.

A woman and three children ages 2 to 6 drowned after the 1999 Plymouth minivan rolled into a pond.

Michelle McIntosh, 39, had left the van parked and idling on a hill as she talked briefly with the driver of a nearby vehicle. Police believe that one of the children climbed into the driver's seat and moved the shift lever out of park.

The mother ran after and climbed into the moving van but was unable to stop it before it became submerged.

- New Haven Register

Nov. 20, 2010, Burleson, Texas

Chassey Bates was severely injured and her 3-week-old baby, Chase, was killed by a runaway 2005 Chrysler minivan.

Bates had parked the van and exited it and was talking with a neighbor. Police said a 4-year-old son left inside the van got the keys from her purse, started the vehicle and put it into gear.

A liability lawsuit later revealed the van's brake-shift interlock had been disabled by a used-car dealer during installation of a tracking device.

The keys had been left in the ignition, and the boy got into the truck while his father was in the house.

The boy turned the key and shifted the truck out of park. The truck began rolling backward; he jumped out of the open driver's door, which struck him, pushing him into the path of the left front wheel.